Dirty Secrets, Dirty War

From 1976-1983, an estimated 30,000 people disappeared in Argentina. They were victims of the “Dirty War” – a brutal campaign designed by the government to root out possible subversives. Those suspected of being dissidents were kidnapped and taken to secret detention centers. Most were tortured and then killed – never seen again.

Robert J. Cox, editor of the Buenos Aires Herald, did what few others were willing to do – he told the truth about what was happening. Every day his newspaper reported on the kidnappings and killings. He challenged those in power – asking questions and demanding answers. Cox's commitment to reporting the truth made him a hero to the families of the disappeared, but an enemy of the state.